Autonomous Driving & Connectivity: This Is Where Driving Is Going In 2016
When it comes to the automotive space, the loudest buzzwords emerging from this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) were, unsurprisingly, “autonomous driving” and “connectivity”. There seems to be a unanimous and fortified consensus to reframe the automobile as the pristine hub of your digital world rather than a CO2-belching meat mover. To transform it from a 20th century cultural symbol to a 21st century article of mobility and to make it as relevant, technologically current and –of course—mobile as wearables and smartphones.
2016 also marked the year that CES officially shifted into an auto show. Yes, it has been gaining importance in the automotive space for the past six years, but in 2016 the all-out marketing presence of automakers was dominant: Almost one-quarter of the entire CES floor space was dedicated to the automotive industry. Nearly every major player was represented, with one-quarter of the keynote presentations coming from auto industry CEOs (VW’s Herbert Diess and GM’s Mary Barra).
Milestone announcements were made, landscape-shifting collaborations were revealed and pretty concepts were pranced around like show ponies. Here are eight of the most important automotive trends that took shape at the 2016 CES.
CENTER OF YOUR UNIVERSE
No car made bigger boasts than VW’s BUDD-e Microbus concept, establishing itself as the nexus of your digital world. Elevating connectivity to the highest level, BUDD-e will allow you to communicate directly with your “Connected Home” —a hub for the Internet of Things. The concept will allow you to see and communicate with whoever’s at your front door even while you’re on the road. It will tell your house when you’ve left, downshifting appliances into sleep mode. As you approach home, BUDD-e will turn on the lights and heat up your living room to a nice toasty climate. BUDD-e can even open your front door when you arrive loaded with groceries.
TO OWN OR NOT TO OWN
It seems the disruptive threats of the borrowing economy have hit the automotive industry hard. Owning a car was once an integral cog of the American Dream. But as ownership tastes shift in the much-lauded borrowing economy of millenials and beyond, automakers are preparing for a world in which you might not necessarily own your own car but borrow a vehicle only when needed. Ironically, GM announced a $500 million investment in the ride-sharing service Lyft. GM will not only develop autonomous cars for the thriving Uber competitor (sometime in the undisclosed future), but it will also supply a fleet of vehicles to Lyft drivers. Also securing a seat on Lyft’s board of directors, GM wants to gain a firm foothold in our ride-sharing future.
LIVING ON AUTOPILOT
Autonomous driving is moving forward at breakneck speed, with Silicon Valley powerhouses like Google and Apple elbowing their way into the automotive space with fearless abandon. Meanwhile, GM, Ford, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Tesla, Volvo and even Hyundai are dumping billions into the technology. While it seems like a truly hands-free robot car is more than a decade away (with more hurdles coming in the form of legislation than technology), vehicles like the Volvo XC90, Tesla Model S and Audi Q7 are already offering cars that can negotiate traffic jams and avoid (or limit) collisions with no human input. Blink and you’ll miss an update.
SYNC APPLINK VS CARPLAY VS ANDROID AUTO
Ford’s SYNC AppLink notched a big victory at CES when Toyota announced it would be adopting the platform as well, under the SmartDeviceLink (SDL) moniker. What makes SDL superior to Apple CarPlay or Android Auto (although SDL can use both) is that you can access other aspects of the car’s infotainment without leaving the app (i.e. you can check the nav without having to exit SDL, something you cannot do with either CarPlay or Android Auto). Beyond greater usability, SDL is also open-sourced, meaning anyone can build apps for it. So while CarPlay currently offers less than a dozen apps, SDL already boasts over 60. Will more automakers adopt this open-sourced platform? Honda, Mazda, Subaru and PSA Peugeot Citroën are all officially considering it.
THE VERY NEAR FUTURE
While VW’s BUDD-e concept showed off tech that won’t be on the market for years, its e-Golf Touch infotainment system displayed breakthroughs that will hit showrooms later this year. The Gesture Control 2.0 system allows the operation of interior and exterior features with simple waves of your hand (next song, open sunroof, mute, call your mom, etc.). Sure, BMW beat VW to the dance by offering gesture control technology in its ultra-luxe 7-Series executive saloon, but VW will be the first manufacturer to outfit the tech in affordable vehicles for the mass market – including Golfs later this year. Meanwhile, Audi’s virtual cockpit will feature expansive LED displays (over a foot wide), haptic feedback and gesture control. Already debuted on the TT, expect to see its first real expression in next year’s A8 flagship sedan. “In the future, the entire system will get to know the customers and their habits and preferences, then proactively support them,” promised Ricky Hudi, Audi’s Executive Vice President of Electronic Development.
FARADAY PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
Many knocked the Faraday Future’s FFZero1 concept as mere vaporware, but that doesn’t take into account the fact that automakers regularly showcase cars without functioning powertrains. The real point of the FFZero1 was to introduce Faraday’s proprietary Variable Platform Architecture (VPA) — a unique battery system that assembles lithium ion modules into “strings”. This VPA architecture allows Faraday Future to add or remove strings with ease, increasing or decreasing power (and weight) to achieve new wheelbases and explore new vehicle segments. Featuring a wild center seating position, however, the FFZero1 offers little insight into what a production, entry-level Faraday will look like — a critical element in luring consumers.
UPDATING YOUR DINOSAUR
There are also ways to update older cars to share the same technology that newer cars boast. Hudway Glass offers a universal driving accessory that turns your smartphone into a Head-Up Display (HUD) that you place on your dash. The transparent glass shows directions, speed and road path projected from your phone — all at your eyeline. HUDs are normally just the province of high-end cars, but Hudway offers you the same technology for your older car — allowing you to keep your eyes focused on the road instead of darting around at your GPS. A bit pricier, Japanese tech specialists JVCKENWOOD updated a McLaren 675LT with a HUD and replaced its rear and side-view mirrors with digital cameras for improved visibility and aerodynamics. Which means you can now transform your 2003 Pontiac Aztek into a sleek, mirrorless vision of the future.
WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS
Not satisfied with how quickly we’re moving into the bright, shiny future? Are cars that warm up your house, drive themselves and communicate with your smartwatch not enough? Well then, how about a jetpack you can print at home? With the help of Airwolf3D printers, JetPack Aviation has created a jet turbine-powered backpack capable of vertical takeoff and landing. Using AXIOM 3D printers to print the tank, the JB-10 can blast you over 10,000 feet high, at a faster speed than 100 mph.
Source: Askmen